Toilet unit



July 26, 1960 D. L. SMITH 2,946,065

TOILET UNIT Filed Jan. 28, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR.

ATTOIP/VEV.

D. SMITH July 26, 1960 TOILET UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 28, 1958INVENTOR. DIM/2 l. 511/7 MgM ATTO/P/VEK TOILET UNIT Daniel L. Smith,Fort Myers, Fla., assignor to Daniel L. Smith, Fort Myers, Fla., astrustee Filed Jan. 28, 1958, Ser. No. 711,650

3 Claims. (Cl. 4-115) The present invention relates to a toilet unit,and is primarily concerned with the provision of a device, preferablyportable or semi-portable, which may be readily installed to take careof toilet needs where it is not practical to install either awater-carried sewage system or a sanitary pit arrangement. Devices ofthe general character with which the present invention is concerned findtheir primary utility in roadside parks, picnic areas, multi-levelbuilding construction, labor gang areas, armed forces training areas andwith traveling show units such as circuses, carnivals and the like.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a unit of thecharacter above-described which will be simple and inexpensive inconstruction and yet capable of longcontinued use, which will be soconstructed and arranged as toprovide for covenient periodicalwithdrawal of its contents, and which will be as sanitary as possible. Afurther object of the invention is to provide, in such a device,improved means for maintaining the major recep tacle normally closedagainst the entrance and exit of insects and against the emanation ofefiiuvia, improved means for automaticallyopening the receptacle foruse, and improved means for periodically injecting a fluid such as adisinfectant or deodorant into the interior of the receptacle.

Still further objects of the invention will appear as the descriptionproceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention maybe embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings,attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings areillustrative only, and that change may be made in the specificconstruction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of theappended claims is not violated.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a toilet unit constructed in accordancewith the present invention, parts being broken away for clarity ofillustration;

Fig. 2 is a planview thereof;

Fig. 3 is asection taken substantially on the line 3-'-3 ofFig. 1 andlooking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4is a fragmented section,on an enlarged scale, of a detail.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that theunit of the present invention comprises a main receptacle 19, which maytake any desired form but which may preferably be a converted oil drum,or the like, the open top of said receptacle being provided with a cover11 suitably -secu r'ed thereto in any desired f'a'shio'n, :said coverbeing provided with an aperture 12 therethrfongli. A first door 13 ishingedly supported, along one lateral edge "of 'Said'aperture, by hingemeans 14 artisan the preferred form of my invention, will be acohventionalYSpringQhihge, knownf to the hardware trades t, he y? r jhorizontal position against the lower surface of the cover -sasc'reendoor hinge, so constructedand arranged hold, the doorll3 inelevated, substantially hinges 14 and 16, a hinge bar 19 has itsopp0site ends supported in hinge brackets 20, 20 carried by, and up:standing from, the cover 11; and hinge elements. 21, 21 projectrearwa'rdly from the rear end of aconventional toilet seat 22 and engagesaid bar 19 to provide a hinge mounting for said seat which is formedwith an opening 23 which, in the use position of the seat, overlies theaperture 12.

At a point spaced to the rear of the seat hinge, an upstanding post 24is secured to the cover 11, said post being formed with a head 25. Acoiled spring 26 is sleeved on the post 24 and is confined betweenthepost head 25 and the end 28 of a strap or lever 27 which is fixed tothe rear end of the seat 22 and which projects beyond the seat hingemeans into cooperative association with the post 24. The strap end 2t)may be slotted or perforated for sliding engagement with the post 24;and the s ring 26 is so designed as normally to hold the seat 22 in thepartlyelevated position illustrated in Fig. 1. Of course, theapplication of any substantial weight to the seat 22 will overcome theeffect of the spring 26 to movethe seat into use position.

. Rigidfingiers 29 and 3d depend from the lower surface of the seat '22into cooperative association with the doors 3 and 15, respectively. Thefingers 29 and 30 may be rigidly secured to the seat 22 and may beunconnected with the doors 1?: and 15; or, as shown, said fingers may behingedly engaged, as at 31 and 32, with the seat and with the respectivedoors, as illustrated] In either case, however, the fingers are sorelated to the doors 13 and 15 that, upon movement of the seat 22 intouse position, both doors will be swung about their'hinge axes, andagainst the tendency of the springs embodied in the hinges 14 and 16, tomove their edges 17 and 18 downwardly to open the aperture 12. Ofcourse, when the Weight is removed from the seat 22, the spring 26 willreturn the seat to the position of Fig. l and the doors 13 and i5 7 cageor socket 33 for the removable reception of a container 34 fordisinfectant "or deodorant fluid. The Container is formed with adischarge spent 35 and is provided with pump means, of any desired,conventional construction, including a plunger 36 spring-loaded to itsuppermost position and eiiective, upon depression against the tendencyof its spring load, to discharge a quantity of the fluid in thecontainer 34, through the spout 35 into the interior of the receptacle10. A lever 37' has one end pivoted as at 38 to an interior wall of thereceptacle it), for oscillation about a horizontal axis, and extendsinwardly in overlying, cooperative relation with the upper end oftheplunger 36, Reciprocably penetrating the cover 11 is a pin '39 whoselower end rests upon,

and is supported by, the distal end of the lever 37, and i the lever 37in a counter clockwise direction to depress the plunger "3*6'todi'scharge "a quantity of fluid from the seat 22 and the seat isreturned to its illustrated position, the plunger 36 will rise, underthe influence of its spring load, to return the lever 37 and the pin 39to their illustrated positions.

Preferably, I provide a separate urinal 40, with a hinged cover 41,outside the receptacle 10, the bottom of said urinal being connected, byan elbow 42, to a T 43. A short pipe 43 which fixedly penetrates thewall of the receptacle is engaged with the stem of the T 43 to supportthe whole assembly, and connects with a delivery tube 44 within thecontainer 10; and a faucet 45 is connected to the opposite branch of theT 43. Of course, when the faucet 45 is closed, liquid from the unit 40will flow directly into the receptacle 10 through tube 44; but in someinstallations it may be desirable to connect a pipe or hose to thefaucet 45, leading to a separate receptacle or to a point to whichliquid may safely drain; and in such cases, the faucet 45 is opened andliquid will drain primarily from the unit 40 to such point.

The interior of the receptacle may be vented through a fitting 46 towhich may be connected a vent pipe or hose 47; and, when desired, thepipe or hose 47 may be disconnected and may be replaced by a water hosefor cleaning the interior of the receptacle 10. For such cleaning, theunit may be placed adjacent a sewer manhole and the contents may beflushed out through the fitting 48 which, through a pipe section 49, isconnected to one arm of a T 50, the other arm of which is normallyclosed by a plug 51 which, for cleaning, may be replaced by a valve, ahose, or the like. Alternatively, the contents may be withdrawn to atank truck provided with a suction pump, through a pipe 52 connected tothe stem of the T 50, supported by a brace 53, and normally closed atits upper end by a cap 54 which may be removed for con nection of thesuction line from such a tank.

Depending upon the dimensions of the unit, it may sometimes be desirableto provide a folding step or platform structure 55 which, as shown, ispivotally mounted on the receptacle 10 as at 56 and may be provided withfolding legs 57.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a self-supporting i upon an axisclosely adjacent said receptacle rearward wall and projecting forwardlytherefrom beyond the vertical plane including said seat hinge axis tooverlie said plunger in operative engagement therewith, andreciprocating means actuated by movement of said seat, against thetendency of said spring means, into use position, to engage said leveradjacent the forward end thereof to swing said lever and to depress saidplunger.

2. In a device of the class described, a receptacle having a fixed,apertured cover, a seat member having an opening therethrough, hingemeans including elements upstanding from said cover adjacent an end ofthe aperture in said cover and elements projecting from said seat, awayfrom the opening therethrough, for hingedly mounting said seat formovement between use position overlying said aperture and an elevatedposition, a single post fixedly upstanding from said cover at a point onthe other side of said hinge means from said seat member, abutment meanson said post spaced upwardly from said seat cover, a lever fixed to thatportion of said seat member adjacent said hinge means and extendingbeyond said hinge means into sliding association with said post, acoiled spring sleeved on said post and confined between said lever andsaid abutment means to hold said seat member yieldably in an elevatedposition, a pair of doors supported from said cover beneath saidaperture respectively adjacent opposite edges thereof, spring hingemeans for each of said doors mounting the same for swinging movementabout parallel axes, substantially perpendicular to the axis of saidseat member hinge means, between elevated positions in which the freeedges of said doors meet to close said aperture and depressed positionsin which said aperture is open, said spring hinge means holding saiddoors yieldably in such elevated positions, and two fingers dependentlysecured to said seat member, one cooperable with each of said doors,said fingers being proportioned and arranged to engage said receptaclehaving a fixed cover at its upper end, said cover being formed with anopen mouth and the rear end of said mouth being significantly spacedfrom the adjacent rearward wall of said receptacle, a seat member havingan opening therethrough hingedly mounted upon an axis located betweenthe rear end of said open mouth and said rearward receptacle wall formovement into and out of overlying relation to said mouth, a pair ofdoors, respectively hinged adjacent the opposite edges of said mouthupon axes angularly related to, and below, the hinge axis of said seat,the edges of said doors remote from their hinge axes meeting, whenelevated, to close said receptacle mouth, spring hinge means for each ofsaid doors yieldably holding said doors in such elevated positions,means projecting from the lower surface of said seat and engageable withsaid doors to force the said remote edges of said doors downwardly, whensaid seat is moved into use position, to open said mouth, lever meanssecured to said seat and projecting therefrom beyond the hinge axis ofsaid seat, a headed post stationarily upstanding from said cover at apoint disposed rearwardly of said seat axis, said lever means straddlingsaid post, spring means confined between the head of said post and saidlever means and effective to hold said seat yieldably in an elevatedposition in which said projecting means permits full closure of saiddoors, a container for fluid mounted within said receptacle closelyadjacent the rearward wall of said receptacle and embodying pumpmechanism including a spring-loaded, upwardly-projecting plungereffective, upon depression against its spring load, to discharge aquantity of fluid from said container to the interior of saidreceptacle, alever pivotally mounted doors directly to force said doors,against the tendency of said spring hinge means, into such depressedpositions when said seat member is moved into use position.

3. In a device of the class described, a receptacle having a fixed,apertured cover, a seat member having an opening therethrough, hingemeans including elements upstanding from said cover adjacent an end ofthe aperture in said cover and elements projecting from said seat, awayfrom the opening therethrough, for hingedly mounting said seat formovement between use position overlying said aperture and an elevatedposition, a single post fixedly upstanding from said cover at a point onthe other side of said hinge means from said seat member, abutment meanson said post spaced upwardly from said cover, a lever fixed to thatportion of said seat member adjacent said hinge means and extendingbeyond said hinge means into sliding association with said post, acoiled spring sleeved on said post and confined between said lever andsaid abutment means to hold said seat member yieldably in an elevatedposition, a container for fluid mounted in said receptacle below saidcover and rearwardly behind the rear end of said cover aperture, saidcontainer embodying pumping mechanism including a spring-loaded,upstanding plunger effective, upon depression against the tendency ofits spring load, to eject a quantity of fluid from said container to theinterior of said receptacle, a second lever pivotally mounted on ahorizontal axis located directly adjacent the rear wall of saidreceptacle, said lever projecting forwardly from its axis beyond thevertical plane including the hinge axis of said seat and overlying saidplunger in cooperative engagement therewith, and a pin reciprocablypenetrating said cover at a point between said rear end of said coveraperture and said vertical plane, said pin being supported upon saidsecond lever near the distal end of said lever, the upper end of saidpin being disposed in the descend ing path of said seat member as thelatter moves toward use position against the tendency of said coiled,spring,

whereby said pin will move said lever to depress s-aid plunger as saidseat member is so moved to use position.

References Cited in 'Lhe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS WardOct. 24, 1911 Lehtonen June 10, 1913 Knox Apr. 14, 1914 Roe Mar. 1, 1938Majauskas Aug. 21, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Aug. 13, 1952

